“I spoke with eight people familiar with the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund—including current and former Justice Department officials, current and former members of Congress, a defense attorney, and political operatives close to the administration. All said that Justice Department officials and people close to the White House have indicated that the payout idea has not actually been scrapped.”

“Rather, they say, officials are exploring whether elements of the fund can be reactivated while also examining alternative arrangements to make sure loyalists get compensated.”

Said prosecutor Bill Essayli: “We will be charging some people. It will be election fraud charges in the next — I hate to put timelines on things — one or two months I believe. We need some of these results to be certified so we can prove some of the allegations.”

“The declaration, issued by an outspoken loyalist to President Trump, was a vivid example of the Justice Department’s approach to voting under the Trump administration. The agency is seeking to assert more control over elections and challenge how states conduct them, a shift that could have significant consequences in the midterm elections this year, when control of Congress hangs in the balance.”

“Why not borrow the money from your health insurance company?”

“In the dense 1,121-page final rule issued last month about how the Affordable Care Act market will operate next year, the administration suggested that insurers consider offering loans to cash-strapped customers.”

“But that has not dissuaded America’s commander in chief from proclaiming when and how the United States will next attack Iran.”

“His guest spot comes as the show is the subject of an FCC investigation, led by President Donald Trump’s appointed chairman Brendan Carr, over the agency’s equal time rule.”

“But there are wide differences in opinion over what positions the party should adopt heading into the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election—and the divisions don’t play out in the ways one might expect. Some of the new Democratic proposals carry more than a whiff of Trumpism. Others call for a complete reset, especially on aid to Israel. Underlying everything is the widespread recognition that the establishment order, personified by Biden and his predecessors, left many Americans behind.”

“It’s a sign conversations around ‘Reconciliation 3.0’ are heating up after President Donald Trump signed the GOP-only immigration enforcement funding measure earlier this week.”

“In a 218-to-198 vote, Democrats and Republicans both opposed even temporarily renewing a statute that underpins the government’s cornerstone electronic spying program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It left the law, now set to expire after midnight on Friday, facing its gravest threat in years, with the Senate also at an impasse over extending it.”

— President Trump, on Fox & Friends.

“But since then, Britain has been left behind. The country’s output per person is now only just above that of Mississippi, America’s poorest state—and that slight lead is only achieved thanks to London. Outside the capital, in places where tourists do not visit, living standards fall well below Mississippi’s.”

— Jill Biden, quoted by Time, on the Democratic backlash to her memoir.

Pew Research is trying to move beyond the old left-right shorthand that has defined American politics for decades.

Instead of sorting voters into the familiar buckets of Democrats, Republicans and independents, Pew’s new political typology divides Americans into nine groups — including “Loyal Liberals,” “Left Out Left”, “Faith First Conservatives,” “Unconventional Right,” and the “Tuned-Out Middle.”

“What we’re facing, instead, is potential political crisis. Congress and the White House could easily take action to sustain America’s retirement system. But given the current state of our politics, there’s no guarantee that they will.”

“Democratic groups in Washington closed ranks behind Graham Platner after his decisive primary win on Tuesday, declaring that the novice candidate who’s taken hit after hit can defeat Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins. But the Senate Democratic Caucus isn’t united behind him, and his series of stumbles has some in the party contending that Collins’ defeat is no longer a prerequisite to winning the majority.”

He said an operation to “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets and infrastructure, including taking Kharg Island, will occur “at some point in the not too distant future.”

Bloomberg: “Trump comments threaten further escalation which risks derailing slow-moving talks over a peace agreement. Taking Kharg Island would likely require the use of US ground forces, which would put servicemembers in greater danger and pose political challenges for the president, as the war becomes increasingly unpopular at home.”

— A political operative close to the White House, quoted by Politico.